Russian Citizen Buryakov Charged With Spying in NYC - Attorney

© REUTERS / Jane RosenbergEvgeny Buryakov
Evgeny Buryakov - Sputnik International
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Prosecutors claim that Evgeny Buryakov, 39, Igor Sporyshev, 40, and Viktor Podobny, 27, plotted to gather economic intelligence for Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service’s facility and to recruit New York residents.

Evgeny Buryakov - Sputnik International
Alleged Russian Spy Buryakov Denies US Charges of Illegal Activities
NEW YORK (Sputnik) – Russian national Evgeny Buryakov was charged with espionage for Russia's intelligence service during a preliminary hearing in Manhattan court on Wednesday, a statement from the US Attorney’s Office in New York said.

“The defendant is charged in connection with his service as a covert intelligence agent on behalf of the Russian Federation in New York City, without notifying the US Attorney General of his status as an agent of Russia, as required by federal law,” the statement said.

The next hearing on the case is scheduled for March 26, US District Judge Richard Berman said, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

Buryakov's lawyer said that his client does not plead guilty.

Prosecutors claim that Buryakov, 39, Igor Sporyshev, 40, and Viktor Podobny, 27, plotted to gather economic intelligence for Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service’s facility and to recruit New York residents in a scheme that started in 2012.

Judge Sarah Netburn listens to defence attorney Sabrina Shroff as Evgeny Buryakov sits in court in New York, January 26, 2015 - Sputnik International
New York Court Indicts Alleged Russian Agent
During the period of the alleged plot, Buryakov posed as an employee of a Russian bank, Sporyshev was a Russian trade representative, and Podobny was an attache to Moscow’s UN mission, prosecutors say. Buryakov was arrested in New York in January while Sporyshev and Podobny had left the United States and were not detained.

The prosecution comes amid tensions between the United States and Russia that are at their lowest since the end of the Cold War. Moscow and Washington accuse each other of backing a military confrontation in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 5,400 lives since last April.

In January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich accused Washington of detaining Russian citizens without evidence and said the “anti-Russian campaign” would “undermine” relations between the two countries.

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